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Educational Shows

Stellarium

Ever wished you had a real planetarium available for your students? Now you can! ‘Stellarium’ renders realistic skies in real time, simulating the skies from anywhere on Earth through near photo-realism. Provides an engaging way to explore and increase your understanding of the night sky. View constellation art, deep space objects, meteor showers, solar eclipses, transits, and more!

Saturn, the Ring World II

The Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn proved a resounding success, providing a greater knowledge of the gas giant and its spectacular moon, Titan. Learn how the sophisticated instruments on Cassini gathered vital data to assist scientists understand this vast, mysterious region.“Saturn, the Ring World II” is narrated by Star Trek’s John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox on the Enterprise) and was produced by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutesRecommended Grades: All

Fun Facts:

Saturn’s rings are 200,000 miles wide. That is as far as a road trip from California to New York 83 times!

A tornado on Earth produces winds up to 300 MPH. Saturn’s winds reach speeds of upwards of 1,100 MPH destroying everything in their paths.

The spaceship Cassini reaches speed around 50,000 MPH as it draws near to Saturn. You could fly from coast to coast across the United States in three minutes!

Secret of the Cardboard Rocket

Climb aboard a magical cardboard rocket with two young children and enter an extraordinary ride through space in this lighthearted show. Experience a breathtaking, up-close look at each of our Solar System’s planets, and receive special guidance from Astronomy Book — a character personified by a wise, kind old man. You’ll navigate around planets in the Milky Way Galaxy, and find yourself hurtling toward the outer reaches of our system to our final destination — the remote, frozen planet of Pluto.

Fun Facts:

The Dinosaur Prophecy

Join paleontologists in excavating bones and wondering what killed the mighty dinosaurs. Be amazed as your favorite giants come to life and meet their catastrophic deaths. Find out how NASA scientists monitor the Earth for potential disasters!“Dinosaur Prophecy” is a co-production of the Rice Space Institute and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, funded by NASA’s Office of Earth Science under the “Immersive Earth” project.

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutes Recommended Grades: 2-4

Fun Facts:

The smallest dinosaur was the Epidendrosaurus. When born, they were about the size of a baby bird.

The largest dinosaur was 50 feet tall. That is 5 basketball hoops stacked on top of one another.

Earth’s Wild Ride

What would it be like to live on a lunar colony and to dream of visiting Earth? Experience the heart-pounding exhilaration of a water canyon ride and an erupting volcano, venture through an Ice Age scene with a giant Wooly Mammoth and to the time of the dinosaurs during a major meteor shower!Produced by the Houston Museum of Natural Science/Rice University as part of the NASA-funded Immersive Earth Project.

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutes Recommended Grades: K-5

Fun Facts:

Fantasy Worlds

Explore the limits of life! Is extra-solar life stranger than life on Earth? On Earth, scientists have discovered life forms flourishing in the most extreme and dangerous environments – from deserts, boiling springs, and acidic ponds to Antarctic ice. ‘Fantasy Worlds’ features artists and animators creations of possible life-bearing worlds that our telescopes and spacecraft may someday find around other stars.“Fantasy Worlds” is a joint production of the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the University of Houston Partial funding was provided by an education and public outreach supplement to a NASA-Exobiology Program of the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Houston.

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutes Recommended Grades: 3-8

Fun Facts:

Did you know Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet?

Death Valley, CA holds the record for the hottest day, which was 134 degrees.

There was a storm on Neptune that was so big it would have covered the whole Earth.

Secrets of the Dead Sea

‘Secrets of the Dead Sea’ is a full-dome documentary, filmed at the Dead Sea and from space with historical clips and computer animation. In this show, the Dead Sea comes alive through stories preserved in its cliffs, caves, and in the stars overhead. Ancient scrolls chronicle the passage of time by motions of the Sun and Moon, while rock and sand preserve a living record of a place as timeless as the star patterns above.Produced by the Houston Museum of Natural Science/Rice University as part of the NASA-funded Immersive Earth Project.

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutes Recommended Grades: 3-8

Fun Facts:

Did you know the lowest place of Earth is the Dead Sea- it is 1,300 feet below sea level!

The Dead Sea’s waters are so dense that you would float even if you don’t know how to swim.

Passport to the Universe

Passport to the Universe allows you to enjoy the journey through the Solar System, the Milky Way Galaxy, and to the edge of the observable universe. Fly beneath the rings of Saturn, into the heart of the Orion Nebula, and back to Earth through an amazing black hole. Experience these and other stunning cosmic destinations as never before!Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks and produced by the American Museum Of Natural History in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutes Recommended Grades: 3-8

Fun Facts:

Saturn is so dense that if you dropped it into a huge pool of water it would float.

The Search For Life: Are We Alone?

Does life exist anywhere else in the universe? Ancient mythologies and contemporary science fiction have presented imaginative possibilities, but how does modern science approach this question? The Search for Life: Are We Alone? begins to answer this intriguing question in a breathtaking program narrated by Academy Award–nominated actor Harrison Ford.Produced by the American Museum Of Natural History in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutes Recommended Grades: 4-8

Fun Facts:

The deepest part of the ocean is 35,840 feet. While no light reaches that depth, life is still present.

Did you know that Mars has a volcano that is three times bigger than Mt. Everest?

Future Moon

We are taken back to the Apollo mission and man’s first wondrous steps on the Moon! What could a lunar colony look like? How would it feel to live on the Moon? Learn all about NASA’s amazing plans, as we follow along through our past, the present, and what the future may hold!Narrated by the legendary Walter Cronkite, “Future Moon” was developed by Houston Museum of Natural Science, Rice University and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutes Recommended Grades: 4-8

Fun Facts:

Did you know the Moon is 4.5 billion years old?

How many days do you think it would take to reach the Moon in your parent’s car? About 130 days!

Apollo foot prints will remain on the Moon for at least 10 million years.

Lucy’s Cradle: The Birth of Wonder

‘Lucy’s Cradle’ describes how changes in the Earth’s geography and atmosphere paired with Lucy’s upright posture converge to allow creatures to first observe the skies. Journey through the Solar System to see the other worlds in our solar neighborhood. Why is intelligent life only found on Earth? Could any other planet or moon harbor primitive life? Journey back into time to ancient Africa, home of the world’s most famous fossil. Watch her come alive with her family, and see how changes in her environment drove hominid migration.

**DISCLAIMER: Content could be considered controversial–includes theories of evolution**

Approximate Program Length: 21 minutes. Recommended Grades: 5-8

Fun Facts:

Did you know that Lucy got her name from the famous song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”?

Was Lucy a child or adult? Lucy was an adult; she had wisdom teeth when they discovered her.

Night of the Titanic

‘Night of the Titanic’ shows some unique conditions between Earth and space that, coupled with a few crucial human errors, led to the sinking of the great ship on April 15, 1912. Learn how icebergs are formed and the damage they may evoke, even to the “unsinkable!” Venture through the entire journey of the doomed passengers that fateful night in our history.

Approximate Program Length: 25 minutes. Recommended Grades: 5-8

Fun Facts:

The Titanic is as long as the Empire State Building is tall!

Did you know Titanic used 14,000 gallons of drinking water every 24 hours?

How long do you think it took for the Titanic to sink after hitting the ice burg? Two hours and 40 minutes.

Cosmic Collisions

The breathtaking space show, narrated by award-winning actor, director, and producer Robert Redford, launches visitors on a thrilling trip through space and time. Explore cosmic collisions along with hypersonic impacts that drive the dynamic and continuing evolution of the universe.Produced by the American Museum Of Natural History in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Approximate Program Length: 25 minutes. Recommended Grades 5-8

Fun Facts:

Did you know that Earth is protected by an invisible, natural shield?

There are 300 sextillion stars in the visible universe, that is a 3 followed by 22 zeros!

Force Five

Earth’s weather can be friend or foe. Feel Mother Nature’s fury as extreme weather takes center stage in this realistic animated show revealing images not seen by the naked eye due to their life-threatening nature. Using real footage and NASA based images, ‘Force Five’ producers give the audience a vantage point that would never be safe in the real world. ‘Force Five’ creates a sense of what it would look and feel like if you were standing in the middle of a deadly storm. Hunker down as you are hit by a Force Five hurricane, tornado, and solar storm.Force Five was funded by NASA’s Museums Teaching Planet Earth Project at Rice University and by the Image Spacecraft Mission and produced by the Houston Museum of Natural Science and Sybil Media.

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutes Recommended Grades: 5-8

Fun Facts:

Hurricanes can reach 200-300 miles in diameter and last for up to three weeks!

Microcosm

Take an adventure inside the human body in this extraordinary adventure. Fly up the carotid artery, explore the eye, brain, ear, and heart and then shrink into a cell to see the nucleus and DNA. Microcosm uses the latest discoveries of nanoscale science to create a voyage that is realistic and possible for inner space probes only a few nanometers wide. Audiences learn about using superconductors to measure magnetic fields outside the body and about deploying gold nanoshells to the sites of tumors or infections.Microcosm is produced in conjunction with Evans & Sutherland Corporation with collaboration and support from the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering at Rice University, and the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston.

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutes Recommended Grades: 5-8

Fun Facts:

The brain operates on the same amount of power as a 10-watt light bulb.

Do you know what finger nail grows the fastest? Your middle finger nail!

Did you know the acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razor blades?

Into The Deep

Explore the depths of the ocean!

Dive with the pioneers of deep-sea research on their journeys of discovery, on the most famous submersibles in history, to come face-to-face with the fascinating creatures that survive where no life was ever expected — Into The Deep!

Approximate Program Length: 30 minutes Recommended Grades: 5-8

Molecularium

In the digital dome adventure Molecularium, audiences are transported into the world of atoms. Enjoy learning about the water cycle, the three states of matter, and how everything is made of atoms and molecules. Aligned with national science standards in primary school learning, educational assessment has shown that Molecularium truly helps kids learn.

Season of Light

When the December holiday season rolls around each year, planetarians often present special programs that combine astronomy and holiday traditions. One of the most popular shows in the Loch Ness Productions collection is ‘Season of Light.’ It is an elegant and sophisticated program about the coldest and darkest of seasons — a time which holds some of the warmest and brightest celebrations of the year.

Star of Bethlehem

For millennia, believers, scoffers and the curious have wondered at the Biblical account of the Star. The Bible recounts unusual, or even impossible astronomical events at Christ’s birth. For many doubters, the account of the Star of Bethlehem is easily dismissed as myth. For many believers, it is a mystery accepted on faith. What happens if we combine current historical scholarship, astronomical fact and an open mind? Judge for yourself…